The birth rate in China fell to a new low last year, China’s national statistics office reported Monday. In 2021, 7.52 births were registered per 1000 people. More than 10.6 million people were born in China last year.
In 2020, China still registered 8.52 births per 1000 people, and in 2019 it was 10.41 births.
The number of births in China has been declining for years, raising fears of a severely ageing population. In 2015, the one-child policy was ended. This policy, introduced in 1979, meant that each couple could only have one child.
Since 2020, couples are even allowed to have three children. However, this has not led to the hoped-for baby boom for the time being. Analysts fear that the rapid ageing of the population could lead to major economic problems in China.